Traction device for cable railways



(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 1.

J. H. PENDLETON. TRAGTION DEVICE FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

No. 350,078. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

N. PETERS, Phawmrw m hor. Washington. D. c.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. PENDLETON. TRACTION DEVICE FOR CABLE RAILWAYS. No. 350,078. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

ll ll ..I

N. PETERs. Phewuho m ner. Walhmgmn. D. c.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. H. PENDLETON.

TRACTION DEVICE FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

N0. 350,078. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. H. PENDLBTON. TRACTION DEVICE FOR UABLB RAILWAYS. No. 850,078.

Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

N. PETERS, PhntmLilhographcr. Washington. By C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOIIX l'I. IEXDLETON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO HIMSELF, CORNELIUS TIERS, ALEXANDER II. TIE d5, ROBERT I. SLOAN, AND LINCOLN MOSS, ALL OF XE\V YORK, N. 'Y., AND THOMAS NAS'I, OF MORRISTO\VN, NE\V JERSEY.

TRACTION DEVICE FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

QJ ;JIFECATIOZT forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,078, dated September 28, 1886.

Application tiled December 15, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Join: H. Pnxnm-rrox, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented an Improvementin Traction Devices for Cable Railways, of which the l'ollowing is a specification.

The object of this present invention is to control the revolution 01' wheels that are pressed against opposite sides of a traveling cable, so that saidwheels may freely revolve by the movement of the cable while the car or vehieleremaius stationary, and when a gradual detaining device is brought into action to stop the rotation of the wheels the traveling cable gives motion to the vehicle.

In carrying out my said invention I make use of a carriage connected to the truck or platt'orm ot' the car, and upon this carriage I mount the two wheels between which the cable passes, and I make use ot'swinging bearings for one ot'the wheels, to allow the wheels to be separated and the cable dropped, or said wheels are brought together and the cable firmly grasped between them by a peculiar mechanism. Upon the shafts of the wheels there are cranks with connectinga-ods to pistons moving in cylinders containing oil or otherlitpiid. There are channels or ports connecting the opposite ends of these cylinders,and cocks or valves in the said channels. \Vhen these cocks or valves are opened, the liquid circulates freely from one end to the other of the cylinders as the pis tons reciprocate; hence there islittle or no detentiou to the wheels that are revolved by the traveling cal le,and the car can remain stationary; but as the cocks or valves are gradually closed the circulation ol' the oil or other liquid is obstructed, and the wheels not revolving t'reely cause the cable to move the car along on the track, and when the cocks are closed the wheels arehcld so that they do not revolve and the car receives a motion corresponding to the speed of the cable. By this improvement I am enabled to employ a rapidly-traveling cable, and to graduate the speed of the car at. will, and there is no unnecessary wear or injury to the cable, because the same does Serial Yo. 135.087. (,\'o mode'.)

not slip upon the wheels, but the surfaces ot'the wheels move at the same speed as the cable.

Some portions of my improvements not necessarily being connected with the mechanism for propelling the car form the subject of a separate appl nation.

In. the drawings, Figure 1 is a general plan of the mechanism made use of. Fig. 2 is an elevation with the frame and wheels removed to show the parts that would-be behind them. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the wheels and a section of the toggle mechanism that clamps the wheels upon the cable. Fig. 4 .is a detached plan of the wheels and clamping mechanism. Fig. 5 is a side view of the jaw and bed-piece for the link-flame, and Fig. (3 is a plan of the same. Fig. 7 is a side view of the link-t'rame, and Fig. Sis a plan of the same. Fig. 9 is an elevation of the cam mechanism for dropping the cable automatically. Fig. 10 is a section longitudinally of the cylinders with the pistons and crossheads that act to detain or stop the wheels that. are in, contact with the cable. This section is at the line 3 y, Fig. 12. Fig. 11 is an end view of such cylinders with the rods and connections in section at the line m, Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a cross-section 01. the cylimlers at the regulating cock or valve. Fig. 12% is a diagrammatic view of the cranks and connectingiods. Fig. let is a detached plan view of the gripping mechanism, with the link-frames and bettpieces at inclinations; and Fig. 15 is a detached View,'in miniature, illus trating the grip with three pairs of wheels.

A A represent the wheels, A the axles, A? the frame, of a truck or ear of any desired size or character; and A shows the brake bars and shoes, which may be of ordi nary construe tion.

A" is a bed-plate extending across from one side frame, A", to the other, and upon which the principal parts of the apparatus are sup ported.

3 is a bed resting upon the bed plate A, and it may be supported by anti-friction rollers, as shown by dotted lines at b, and to this bed B the vertical frame B is either bolted or.

cast in one, and this vertical frame B passes into the jaw B that is supported by the frame A, so that the vertical frame B and the parts connected with it can be moved backward and forward upon the bed-plate A".

The casting O, in which are the oil cylinders, is bolted to the frame B, and can be moved with it, and the flanges A of the bedplate A serve as guides, between which the casting 0 may move.

At one side of the casting C is a hinge-block. O, to which the swing-frame G is connected by the pivot-bolt c. This swing-frame C corresponds generally to the vertical frame B, and to one side of it is the supportingplate O", that rests upon the bed-plate A. The'spring 0 tends to swing the frame 0 away from the B, and there may be a stop at 'c, to prevent the frames (1' coming too close to the frame B under the action of the mechanism that forces them toward each other, as hereinafter described.

Upon the frame B there arcjournal bearings d d for the vertical shaft I), and D is the traction-wheel at the lower end of the vertical shaft D. (See Fig. 3.) Upon the swing-frame O are the journal-bearings e c for the vertical shaft E, at the lower end of which is the traction-wheel1 lfl These tractioirwheeis D E are grooved for the reception of the traveling cable F. I have shown two grooves in each wheel, one of which is faced with leather or similar yielding material. These wheels may be of any desired character and adapted to grasping the traveling cable.

Upon therespectiveshafts D E are the wheels D and E, and to these a frictional device of any suitable character might be applied to check the rotation of the traction-wheels when the car is to be propelled, or the reverse, as the parts next described may be made use of with the cylinders and pistons and the valves for regulating the passage for the oil or other liquid from one endof the cylinder to the other, as before mentioned; or they may be used with any suitable mechanism for detaining or checking the rotation of the traction-wheels.

G is a bed-piece having ajaw, g, at one end, with'a pivot-pin connecting the bed-piece to one side of thejournal bearing 0, and at the outer end of this bed piece G is a link, G, preferably double, with a pivot-pin, 2, at one end connecting the link G to the end of the bed-piece G, and at the other end a pivot-pin, 3, connecting the link G to the lever-link G", that is pivoted at 4 to the supporting-plate G, and at the outer end of the lever-link G is a link, G, pivoted at 5 to G and at 6 to a crossbar, H, that is beneathandattached to the bed-plateA. Similarappliancesare provided at the other side of the apparatus, the bedpiece I having a jaw, i, at one end hinged to the journal bearing (1, and at the other end provided with a link, I, with a pivot-pin, 7, at one end and 8 at the other end, and a leverlink, 1 pivoted at 9 to the'bed B, and the link I is pivoted at 10 to the lever-link Pand atlil to the cross-bar II.

It will now be apparent that when thetraction-wheels D E and frames B G are moved backward and forward, as hereinafter described, the bed-pieces G and I, with their jaws g and i, will swing upon the jointsby which they are connected to the journal-bearings (Z r and e, and the extent of movement given to the pivots 2 and 7 will depend upon the points at which the links G and I are connected to the respective lever-links G" I becausethe cross-bar H being a fixture the links G i. only swing upon the pivots 6 and 11,1-espectively, and the pivots 4 and 9 receive a motion that is due to the end movement of the frames B C hence, if the pivot-pins 3 and 8 are moved into the holes in the lever-links G" I that are nearest to the pivots 4 and 9, the swinging motion given to the bedpieces G and I will be but small, while ifthe pivot-pins 3 and 8 are moved outwardlyinto theholes that are nearest to the pivots 5 and 10 the swinging motion given to the bed-pieces G and I will be increased. It will. be apparent that these bed-pieces G and become levers, having the connections to the links M M as pivots, and the gripping devices will be pressed upon the cable by the leverage of these bedpieces G and I, and the force with which the cable is gripped will depend upon the load drawn, because the load is drawn by the linkconnections at the ends of these lever bedpieces G I, and the gripping action is the same, whether the ear is moved in one direc tion or the other.

Upon the bed-piece I is a link-frame, K, formed of two slotted side pieces, 7.:, that are connected together by-the portion of the tinkframe that is abovethe bed-pieee I, and these slotted side pieces are guided by the plates 12, that extend out at opposite sides from the bed piece I, and there is a toggle, L, the ends of which are pivoted to the jaw z and the linkframe K, respectively, and this toggleis raised up or pressed down by the toggle-hnk L, that receix es its motion from a crankshaft, L supported in bearings L upon the'frame A", and L is a hand-lever by which the said shaft L can be turned and the toggle L either straightened out intofthe position shown in ICO.

Fig. 3, or the center thereof raised to draw 1 the link-frame K and the jaw g is an expansive helical spring, N. 7

It is now to be understood that when the hand-lever If is moved and the crank-shaft'lf turned the toggle L will act to draw the traction-wheel E toward the tract-ion wheel D, the frame 0 swinging with the wheel E and the parts connected to the same. This movement is the result ofthe toggles L being straightened and pushing theliukaframe K away from the jaw i, and by the links M M drawing the linkframe K toward the jaw g, and by the intervening spring N causing said jaw g to press against the journalbearmg c of the swing frame Ihe parts are made and adjusted in such a manner that this movement will grip the traveling cable F; but the force with which the cable is gripped will depend upon the weight or resistance of the car to be drawn along, because the cable itself will commnnieate to the frames 3 and C an end motion, carrying with them the parts that are connected with such frames, including the tractionwheels, their shafts, and the jaws gand a, and the movement thus given will swing the bed pieces G I upon such jaws into a more or less inclined position, as indicated in Fig. 14, and the link M or ill holding the link-frames K and K so that they cannot separate causes an increase of pressure through the spring N upon the bearings ot' the traction-wheels as the parts swing to the extent of motion due to the inclined position that the bed-pieces G- and I assume in consequence of their outer ends be ing acted upon by the respectivelinks and lever-links.

It will be apparent that the link M prevents the link-frames separating as the parts swing into the inclined position shown in Fig. 14,

aml the slots in the link M allow of the swinging movement, and when the parts may be moved in the opposite direction the link ll ties the link-frames K and K together, and the slots in the link M allow the link-frames to swing into the inclined position. In either instance the bed-pieces G and I become rightangle levers, and the connections between the linklrames and the link W (or M) becomethe pivots upon which these bed-pieces swing in pressing the gripping devices tirmly upon the traveling cable or its equivalents.

it will be apparent that it" the crankpins O 0 upon the wheels I) and E, resptwtively, re ceive the connecting-rods from asteam-engine or other motor the traction-wheels D E might be revolved and the cable I remain stationary; or, in place of said cable, a stationary rail might be made use of, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2%, the other parts remaining unchanged and acting in the manner before described; and I also remark that the toggle mechanism, the bed-pieces G- and I, link-frames K K and the links andlink-levers before describedmay be made use of and act in the manner before describtd, if iigid clamps upon the respective frames B C", as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, be made use of in place of the traction wheels.

hen the crankshaft L is turned by the hand-lever L and the toggles L are pressed down into line, the center joint of the toggles is to pass slightly below a line passing through the end joints, in order that the pressure may tend to hold the toggles firmly down upon the bedpiece l, and it is necessary that the end movement given to the frames B and C" and the parts carried by them may be free without any tendency to lift the center joint of the toggles. For this reason the eye of the top end of the toggle-link is free to slide upon the crank of the shaft If, and this crank is made suftieiently long, as indicated in Fig. 11, to allow for the said movements of the parts.

I provide a lever, I, pivoted at 7) to the main frame A", and there are links I" extend ing from the lower eml of the lever I to a block, 1), upon the supporting plate C. By means of t his lever I and links I the plate C, swinglrame C, casting (2, and vertical frame ll, andthe parts carried bythem, can be moved eudwise by hand-power applied to said lever I. The object of this is twofold: First, the parts may be brought back to the position of rest indicated in Fig. 1, even while the car is in motion, in order that the toggles may be cit-her applied or taken off to grip or release the cable with the greatest facility; or, second, in instances where the grip of the tractionwheels upon the cable is insuliicient this lever I can be made use of to augment the endwise movement given to the frames B C) aml parts carried by them to cause the links and leverlinks to swing the bed-pieces (ft and I and in crease the pressure applied to the cable, orits equivalent.

In cable railways the grip has to be released when passing by an intersecting cable. This can be done by hand applied to the lever I; but it is preferable to avoid the risk of the grip retaining its hold upon the cable by liberating the grip autonntt-ically. \Vith this object in view I provide a cam-lifter, Q, pivoted at Q upon the frame A, and lplace upon the crosstics adjoining the track an incline, Q3, over which the canrliftcr Q, passes, and the raising of the cam-lifterQgivcs motion by the foot Q to the lever 1., moving the crankshaft If and liberutingthe toggles, and allowing the frames 13 O and tractiotrwheels to separate sufficiently to drop the cable i After the cable has been lifted by any suitable appliance, so as to pass in between the traction-wheels I) E, the lever L is movedtostraighten the toggles and grip the cable, as aforesaid.

Upon the vertical shafts D and ll there are cranks atright anglesto each other. The pins 0 0 form the cranks at the upper ends of the respective shafts, and at O" O the cranks are formed in the shafts themselves. Upon reference to the diagram, Fig. 12, it will be seen that the cranks O and O are at right angles to each other. So, also, are the "cranks O and O. From the cranks O O the connecting-rods 1t it pass to the cross head S, that slides upon the bars or guides T, and from the cranks O O" the connecting-rods t It pass to the cross head S, that slides upon the bars or guides '1". .These bars or guides T '1." are fastened at one end to a frame, T", bolted upon the vertical.

ICO

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frame B, and at the other end said bars or guides are connected to the cylinder-heads T.

It will now be apparent that as the shafts D E are revolved'the cross-heads S Sare moved backward and forward, and when one pair of nected the pist0n-rods U U and pistons U U,

which are within the cylinders in the casting G. If steam or a1 r under pressure should be admitted to these cylinders by any suitable valves to act upon the pistons U U, the entire apparatus heretofore described might be made use of as amotor, the cable F, or its equivalenta rail-being stationary forthctraction-wheels D E to act upon, and in order to 'more fully protect my invention I have made aseparate application for patent on separate features that are not necessarily confined to the cable-traction apparatus.

When this invention is made use of with a traveling. cable, the cylinders in the casting O are to contain oil or other suitable liquid supplied through the oil-cups a a, which lead into the respective cylinders and passage-ways. These oil-cups are provided with cocks to confine the oil. I remark that the oil may be pumped in or supplied in any other suitable manner, care being taken to displace all the air, so that the cylinders and passageways are entirely filled with the liquid, and thisis to be renewed from time to time as the same may be lost by leakage or otherwise. Passage-ways V V are provided for each cylinder, with branches or ports leading into the cylinders at opposite ends, and in each passage-way is a valveor cock, by which the same can be partially or entirely closed. I have shown one plug or cook, \V, having two cross holes through it, corresponding to the respective assa 'ewa s V V and there isalever or handle, \V, by means of which the plug can be rotated and the passage-ways opened or closed. When the cock V is open, the liquid circulates freely through the passageways V V as the pistons U U are reciprocated. I f the cock \V is closed, the pistons cannotmove, be-

cause the liquid cannot be compressed, and when thecock is partially opened aresistance is offered to the movements of the parts, and this resistance can be graduated at will, so that the speed of the car can be regulated to any desired extent. car can stand still, and the pistons U U will be reciprocated and the liquid will churn back and forth through the passage-ways VV, and upon starting the car the cock W is gradually and partially closed. If the car is to be driven at the same speed as the traction-cable, the

If the cock WV is opened, the

cock W is closed as soon as the inertia of the car can be overcome; but if the caris to travel at a less speed than the cable the cock XV is left partially opened, and the speed of the car will be in proportion tothe resistance offered I by the liquid to the" movements of the piston.

It will be apparent that the gripping niechanism acts in the same manner when the car 'is moving in either direction, and that the ear containing the grip does nothave to be turned end for end on aturn-table, but is run off from one track upon the other at the end of the line and the cable moving in the opposite direction is picked up and the car run the other way. So, also, ingoing uphill, the leverage action to grip the cable in proportion to the weight that is being drawn along will tend to move the gripping devices toward the front of the car and grip the cable in proportion to the traction-power, and in going downhill the grip cannot slip upon the cable,but the cable will hold back the cars and regulate their speed, because the'tendency of the cars to press forward causes the gripping devices to assume a position nearer to the rear of the car, swing: ing the levers upon the respective joints and gripping the cable in proportion to the weight to be resisted.

I have illustrated-in Fig. 15 the manner in which the grip can be made to take a longer bearing upon the cable. In this instance I have shown three pairs of'gripping-wheels D E, with the respective shafts, bed-pieces, link-frames, and links to each shaft. When pairs of wheels are arranged in this manner, it is necessary to connect the outer ends of the respective bed-pieces G by links, as shown, in order that they may be moved together in either one direction or the other to act upon and grip the cable, and by the extended bearing upon said cable lessen the risk of injury to the surface of the same or to the surfaces of the wheels.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the frames Band O" and the traction-grip upon the same, of the bed-pieces I G, with jaws by which they are pivoted at their inner ends, the link-frames K K", the links M M, for connecting the linkframes, and the links G 1, connected to the respective bed-pieces G and I, for swinging the same and the link-frames into an inclined position to the frames B and C and thereby applying the grip, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the frames B and C and the gripping devices carried by the same, of the bed-pieces G and I, pivotedat their inner ends, the link-frames K and K, sliding upon the pieces G and I, the links M M, for connectingthe link-frames, the spring N, and the toggles L, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the frames B G,

capable of receiving an endwise movement, of

the shafts D E, the traction-wheels D E, supported by such frames,the bed-pieces G and I, pivoted at their inner ends to the frames, the

link-frames K K the links M M, connecting the link-frames, and the links G I,eon.nected to the outer ends of the bed-pieces G and I, substantially as specified, whereby the wheels E D are caused to grip the cable or its equivalent in proportion to the load to be moved, substantially as set forth.

4.. The frames B C" and the shafts D and E, supported by the same, the traction-wheels l 'E, the bed-pieces G and I, link-frames K K', links M M, for connecting the link-frames, the spring N between. the link-frame K and the j aw y, and the toggles L between the link-frame K and the jaw i, and the links 1 and .r, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination. with the wheels A, frame A", and bedplate A", of the bed B, adapted to slide upon the frame A", and the vertical. frame 13, connected to the bed B, the supportingplate C and swinging frame (1, connected to and moving with the bed B and frame the shafts D and E, sustained by the respective frames 13 and 0*, the tractionwheels I) E, and mechanism, substantially as specified, for pressing the wheel E toward the wheel D and grasping the cable or its cquivalent, and the cranks, connecting-rods, and cross-heads, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the tractionwheels and the frames for supportingthe same, of the bed-pieces G I, hinged to the respective supporting-frames, and the links G 1., leverlinks G" 1", links G l, and connection II to the truck or car frame, and the link-frames K K", and connecting mechanism,substantially as specified, for applying the traction-wheels D E to the cable or its equivalent with a gripping pressure resulting from the action of the load to be drawn tending to swing the bedpieces G and Iintoinclined positions, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the tractionwheels D E and their respective shafts and cranks, of connecting-rods, cross-heads, piston-rods, piston, and cylinders adapted to con tain oil or other fluid, and valves or cocks in the ports that connect the ends of the respective cylinders, whereby the revolution of the traction-wheels is controlled or arrested, ac cording to the positions of the valves or cocks, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the truck and wheels and the frames B O, of the tractionwheels, bed-pieces G I, hinged to the frames B, the link-frames K K", links M M, toggles L, toggle-link L, crank-shaft L", and lever L, substantially as specified.

9. The combination, with the truck and wheels and the frames ll 0-, of the tractionwheels, bed-pieces G I, hinged to the frames 0' B, the link-frames K K'-, links M M, tog gles L, togglelink L, crank-shaft L and lover L, foot Qj, (3tllll lift6l Q, and incline Q}, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, with theframes 3'0 and the bed B and supporting'plate O, of the hinge-block and hinge upon which the frame I swings, the mechanism carried by the rcspective frames B 7-, respectively, snbstantially as specified, for clamping the tractioneable, the bed-plate A, for supporting the parts, the links that connect the bed-plate A" to the bedpicccs G and I ofthe gripping meclr anism, and the lever II and links 1", for moving the frames 1 C eudwise and increasing or lessening the grip upon the cable, substantiall y as set forth.

11. The combination, with the cable and gripping devices, of levers at each side of the cable, a link connecting the fulcra of such levers together, and links between the outer ends of such levers and the car, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

12. The combinatiomwith the cable and the gripping devices, of levers at opposite sides of the cable, two links for connecting the fulcra of the levers on one side to the fulcra of the levers on the other side, and connections from the outer ends of the levers to the ears,whereby the resistance in moving the cars either in one direction or the other appliesthe leverage to the gripping devices, substantially as specifled.

Signed by me this llth day of l)eeembcr, A. I). 'ISSS.

.l. l f. PEXDLETON.

\Vitncsses:

GEL). T. .PlNtKNEY, \VA L men L. SERRELL. 

